WWE Mae Young Classic: Episode 7 Review

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Mercedes Martinez def. Abby Laith in a Quarterfinal Match

With Martinez suffering an arm injury of sorts in her previous tournament match (kayfabe, of course), she sold that well and Laith targeted it throughout the bout. Laith has been an excellent underdog since the first round and with her Alligator Clutch being built up as much as it has, it looked like she was closing in on the victory on a few different occasions. Ultimately, Martinez was able to avoid it and advance, but Laith gained a ton from her participation in the Mae Young Classic. She's already under contract to WWE, so here's hoping she becomes a bigger fixture on NXT in the near future.

Shayna Baszler def. Candice LeRae in a Quarterfinal Match

Similar to Laith, LeRae is a wonderful scrappy babyface that excels at fighting from underneath, and although this was only a three minute match, it might have been the best three minute match I've seen in a long, long time. LeRae did everything imaginable to put Baszler away, but Baszler's dominant offense was too much to overcome. Once again, Baszler won in spectacular fashion as she countered LeRae's top rope finisher with a submission of her own to win it.

Toni Storm def. Piper Niven in a Quarterfinal Match

I've noted how Storm had yet to have a real impressive outing so far in the tournament, but this was absolutely it. Both she and Niven are babyfaces, but they captured the crowd by setting a fun tone early on and then going from there. It was different from anything else we've seen in the Mae Young Classic up to this point and it resulted in an extremely entertaining match. Niven once again shined with a stellar showing and Storm scored the win by the skin of her teeth.

Kairi Sane def. Dakota Kai in a Quarterfinal Match

Kai's third round match was a lot like her second round match in that it pitted her against a fellow face, but they kept the crowd engaged and it was a very entertaining contest. Kai's offense is just such a blast to watch, even if it isn't always smooth, but Sane was the perfect dance partner for her and they had instant chemistry together. I liked the story of the finish that Kai would have won if she hit her running kick in the corner, and she sold that knee injury extraordinarily well. 

Overall Show

The quarterfinals of the Mae Young Classic featured some of the best wrestling yet with four quality matchups. I'd give the nod to Niven vs. Storm as the match of the night, but you honestly can't go wrong with any of them. I've been digging the booking of the brackets and the semifinals in Episode 8 should be great. As for the commentary, it still isn't amazing, but it is a significant improvement from the first round.